Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 62,418 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 62,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,074,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $424,000. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 39.5% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 16,178 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,000 after buying an additional 4,581 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Novartis by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,132,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,522,000 after buying an additional 399,862 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Novartis by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 90,587 shares of the company's stock worth $8,815,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares during the period. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $111.23 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $110.03 and a 200-day moving average of $106.14. The stock has a market cap of $234.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $96.06 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is 44.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.

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